The Monkey King
by Fedora411
Summary: What if Luffy hadn't eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit? Watch as a smarter, calmer Luffy faces the challenges of the One Piece world. Rated M for violence, cursing, and implied lemons. Pairings: Luffy/Harem, Zoro/Tashigi
1. The Saga Begins

**Hello everyone, and welcome to a new One Piece story. This is my answer to my own 'No Devil Fruit Luffy Challenge.' These first couple chapters will be pretty much Canon, as far as the basic plot is concerned. However, characters personalities and interactions will be changed, and some events will happen differently, or not happen at all. This story will borrow some elements from my discontinued story, 'The Man Who Would Be King.' If you've read that story, thank you for your support, and I'm sorry I gave up on it, but I think you'll like this one even more. If you haven't read that story, you don't have to. It was my first story, and I had never really tried writing like this before.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **Now, please enjoy 'The Monkey King' Chapter One.**

* * *

 _Wealth. Fame. Power. Gold Roger, the king of the pirates, attained this and everything else the world had to offe_ _r, and his dying words drove countless souls to the sea. "You want my treasure? You can have it. I left everything I gathered together in one piece, now you just have to find it." These words lured men to the Grand Line in pursuit of dreams greater than they'd ever dared to imagine. This is the time known as the Great Pirate Era._

* * *

 **Party's Bar, Foosha Village, Dawn Island. 10 years ago...**

* * *

"That didn't hurt at all, Shanks," a little boy said tearfully. He had scruffy black hair, and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt that had a picture of an anchor on it. He also had a large bandage under his left eye, from when he had stabbed himself a few minutes ago to impress Shanks and his crew.

Shanks, a tall, lanky man in a simple white button up shirt and light brown pants, with deep red hair under a worn old straw hat, looked over at the crying child. "Sure it didn't, Luffy," he said mockingly.

The boy, now identified as Luffy, looked upset at that, and retorted, "Don't you make fun of me, jerk! I'm strong. My punches are like pistols." He punched his right fist towards Shanks for emphasis.

"Okay, fine. Now, why don't you calm down and drink some juice," Shanks mock apologized, handing Luffy a glass of juice.

"Thanks," Luffy said, not noticing the sarcasm that time. As he started to chug the glass though, everyone in the bar started laughing at him.

"A real pirate would never drink juice!" Shanks cried, laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair. (although, that could have been because he was drunk.)

Luffy looked down at his glass and mumbled, "That was a dirty trick," before continuing to drink anyway. Suddenly, the door slammed open.

"So, these are pirates? Not much to look at," a tall man said, entering the bar. He had long, dark hair and a goatee, and wore a long red coat over a white shirt, with black pants that held a sword in one of the belt loops. He was followed by about a dozen men who were leering at Shanks' crew. Looking over at the bartender, the man stated, "We're mountain bandits. Don't worry though, we aren't going to break anything. Just give us ten barrels of rum and we'll be on our way."

The bartender, a green haired young woman named Makino, looked at the bandit leader apologetically. "I'm sorry, but we're fresh out of rum. We should be getting another shipment at the end of the week," she said nervously.

"Then what are these dirty pirates drinking, water?" the bandit shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

"R-rum," Makino stuttered.

Shanks turned to the angry man and held out a bottle. "Sorry, it looks like me and my boys drank the place dry. I've got this unopened bottle left. All yours pal."

The bandit just looked at Shanks for a few seconds, before smashing his fist into the bottle, dousing the red head in booze. Reaching into his coat, the bandit pulled out a wanted poster. "See this? I'm Higuma the Bear. I'm worth 8,000,000 berries. Do you really think I'd be satisfied with one measly bottle of rum?"

Shanks ignored Higuma's threat, and started wiping up the spilled alcohol. "Sorry about the mess, Makino. I'll clean it up, don't worry."

"So, you like to clean, do you pirate? Well then, get this while you're at it," Higuma shouted, slashing his sword out, shattering every dish on the bar. "Come on men, let's get out of this dump." With that, the mountain bandits headed out.

As soon as they were gone, the pirates exploded into laughter. A particularly fat one with a large chunk of meat on a bone, named Lucky Roux, said, "He really got you good, huh Captain?"

Shanks started laughing too, and that's when Luffy lost it. "Why didn't you fight back? They made you look like an idiot, and you just sat there and took it. What kind of man are you? It doesn't matter how many of them there were, you should have fought back."

"Look, Luffy, I get where you're coming from, but relax. You don't have to beat up your enemies to win a fight. Sometimes, you win by not sinking to their level. You'll get it when you're older. Now then, I believe we were partying."

"Whatever," Luffy muttered, turning back to some food he had found and started devouring it.

"You know, you shouldn't eat out of anger, Luffy," Shanks joked, looking over at the little black hole. _'Wait, what is he eating? He didn't have anything left in front of him when the bandits came in. Oh crap!'_ "Luffy, what are you eating?" Shanks asked, frantically searching the bar for the small chest he had brought with him.

"Some meat I found on the floor after that bear guy knocked everything off the bar. I grabbed it really quick, so it's fine. You've heard of the five-minute rule, right? Why are you freaking out?" Luffy asked between bites of the giant chicken leg he had found.

Hearing this, Shanks visibly relaxed, before looking at Luffy like he was crazy again. "Five **second** rule, Luffy, not minute. And have you seen a small, wooden chest anywhere?"

"I'm pretty sure it's five minutes, Shanks. My grandpa told me so. Anyway, do you mean that chest?" Luffy asked, pointing over towards the wall where everything had flown after Higuma's outburst. "I tried to see what was inside it, but it was locked. Is it some kind of treasure? Can I see it, please?"

"I don't see why not. I was going to offer it as a prize for a drinking game we were going to have, but the party got a bit out of hand before I could start it," Shanks replied, picking up the chest and taking a key out of his pocket. Opening the chest, Shanks pulled out a round purple fruit with a series of swirly patterns on it. "This is called a Devil Fruit. It is a special type of fruit that can grant people incredible power. For example, you could gain the ability to create earthquakes, or turn into a Phoenix, or even create and control ice. This one is called the Gum-Gum Fruit. It turns your body into rubber, making you extremely flexible and stretchy. The downside is that if you eat one, you lose your ability to swim, forever. Also, they apparently taste terrible."

"What kind of pirate would give up their ability to swim? Are these fruits really that strong?" Luffy wondered aloud, staring skeptically at the fruit in Shanks' hand.

"Some of them are. A lot of the strongest people in the world have Devil Fruits. Of the fifteen people who make up the Three Great Powers, which are the Marine Admiralty, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Four Pirate Emperors, eleven use Devil Fruits. But, the four who don't are equally powerful. Devil Fruits don't make you stronger or weaker, they only change your body. How you react to that change is what matters. If you think the ability you get is useless, you'll never get stronger. But, if you take the time to practice and learn about it, even the weakest seeming ability can be powerful. For example, the second strongest Warlord, Donquixote Doflamingo, ate the String-String Fruit. It sounds silly, but seeing what he does with it is terrifying. But, that's enough history for one day. It's getting late, and we're leaving in the morning. We'll probably come back one or two more times, but then we need to move on. If we stay here too much longer, the Marines might get suspicious. Good night, Luffy," Shanks said, tousling Luffy's hair before locking up the Gum-Gum Fruit again. With that, Shanks and his crew stumbled out of the bar, singing a very off key version of 'Binks' Brew'.

Turning to Makino, Luffy looked confused, and said, "Late? It's only two in the afternoon."

"I think they make up their own time, Luffy. Now, if you help me clean up, I'll make you a nice supper. How does steak and potatoes sound?" Makino asked, laughing as Luffy's eyes lit up at the mention of free meat.

* * *

 **One Week Later...**

* * *

Luffy wasn't having a very good day. He was currently face down in the middle of town being kicked by the mountain bandits that had insulted Shanks.

 _Flashback..._

 _He had been sitting at the bar, sulking about how Shanks hadn't been back when he promised, when the bandits arrived. They had filled the bar and were acting like they owned the place. Luffy was annoyed by them, but knew he couldn't do anything about them, so he bit his tongue and kept drinking his juice. But then, Higuma grabbed Makino's wrist and started groping her, and told her she could 'have a real man, instead of that red haired coward.' That was the last straw._

 _"Hey! Let her go, jerk! And don't insult Shanks. He's more of a real man than any of you will ever be!" he shouted, standing up in his chair to look the bandit, who was sitting right next to him, in the eye._

 _That was when Higuma stood to his full height and glared down at him. "That's some mouth you got, kid. But you shouldn't speak if you can't back it up," the bandit leader taunted, grabbing Luffy by the neck and throwing him out the door._

 _End Flashback..._

So, there he was, helpless to defend himself as the bandits slowly stomped the life out of him. Then, suddenly the pain stopped. Looking up, Luffy hoped to see Shanks, or maybe his grandpa, or really anyone who could save him. Instead, he saw Higuma walking towards him slowly.

"Let me go!" Luffy yelled as the bandit got closer.

Higuma just laughed and picked him up by the neck again. "Now why would I do that?" the bandit asked, slowly starting to squeeze the young boy's throat.

"Let... me... go...!" Luffy choked out, squirming to get out of the larger man's grip.

Instead, Higuma started squeezing harder, and spots started to drift through Luffy's vision. But then, the boy and the bandit heard a shout from behind them.

"Please, leave the boy alone," Mayor Woop Slap said, slightly shaking. He was an old man with a gray mustache and beard, and he wore a yellow button up shirt and brown pants, as well as a red and white striped bucket hat and wooden sandals. "I don't know what he's done, but I will give you whatever you want if you just let him go."

"I'm sorry, old man, but at this point, the only thing I want is to see this kid die. As soon as I'm done with that though, I'll leave your village in peace." With that, Higuma returned his attention to the boy in his hand. Just as he was about to finish Luffy off, he was interrupted again, this time by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Luffy, sorry we're late. Looks like you got yourself in some trouble. I thought you said your punches were as strong as pistols." Shanks and his crew walked up behind the mayor, with Makino leading them. "How are you going to become a great pirate if you can't even beat this weakling?"

"Weakling? Last time I checked, you were too scared to even try to fight me. Now you're acting like I'm beneath you. What gives you the right to treat me like that?" Higuma taunted, dropping Luffy to the ground as he turned to stare down Shanks.

"You can insult me all you want. Pour booze on me, throw food at me, even spit on me. I'll just laugh it off. That kind of thing really isn't worth getting too worked up about. But, you _**never**_ hurt my friends. Understand?" Shanks said menacingly, his straw hat covering his eyes in shadows. Slowly, he started walking towards the bandits.

"Is that supposed to frighten me? You're nothing but talk. Take them out men," Higuma ordered, waving the other bandits forward.

One of them stepped in Shanks' path and pointed a gun at him. "Stop right there, pirate!" he shouted.

Shanks stopped, looked the man in the eyes and asked, "Are you prepared to risk your life?"

The bandit looked confused at that. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, guns aren't for making threats, they're for actions. Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you prepared to use it?"

The bandit stood still for a second, his hands shaking, then 'BANG!' A gunshot rang out, and the bandit fell to the ground. Standing next to the now dead body was Lucky Roux, a smoking gun in one hand, and a large hunk of meat in the other.

"That was a dirty trick you bastards!" Higuma shouted, completely focused on the pirates now. Luffy saw an opportunity and snuck away quietly.

"We're pirates, not saints," Benn Beckman retorted. He was a tall man with slicked back black hair held in a ponytail. He wore a black V-neck t-shirt and dark green cargo pants tucked into a pair of black combat boots. Around his waist, he wore a yellow sash with a rifle held in it like a pistol. "Captain, do you mind if I deal with these guys?" Shanks nodded, and Benn looked at the mountain bandits. "Well, come and get me then," he taunted, drawing his rifle and wielding it like a club.

Charging forward, the bandits drew swords and daggers as they converged upon the First Mate of the Red Hair Pirates. Benn casually lit a cigarette and took a quick drag before putting it out on a bandit's face. As he screamed, Benn swung his rifle into the man's stomach, causing him to crumple to the ground. A few more men got close to Benn, so he swung his rifle in an arc, knocking five more men to the ground. Seizing the initiative, Benn rushed at the rest of the bandits, and knocked each of them out with a blow to the head. Now standing in the middle of a field of unconscious bandits, he took out another cigarette, and said, "Maybe next time you should bring a battleship."

Higuma looked at the pirates, fear showing on his face. He reached into his pocket to pull out a smoke bomb, hoping to make a quick escape, when he felt a sharp pain to the back of his legs that sent him to his knees. Turning around, he saw the little brat from the bar holding a broom. Luffy swung again, hitting the bandit leader in the face, sending him fully to the ground. Then, Luffy started kicking him in the head until Shanks ran up and grabbed Luffy, pulling him away from the man.

"Let me go, we have to kill him!" Luffy shouted, kicking and screaming to try and break out of Shanks' grip. "We have to finish this so he doesn't hurt anyone else!"

"Luffy, it _is_ finished. Just calm..."

 **"Let me go!"** Luffy cried, unknowingly releasing his Conqueror's Haki. Shanks dropped him, and he ran back to finish what he started.

 _ **"Luffy, stop,"**_ Shanks said calmly, letting his own Haki flow over the boy. _'Who would have thought I'd find a kid like this in the East Blue, of all places,'_ he thought, watching as Luffy stopped in his tracks. "You don't have to kill him. Sure, he said some mean things about me, and I'm glad you stood up for me, but he's not actually a threat. I'm not going to tell you that you should never kill your enemy, because that's naïve, but what I will say is this. Only kill to protect your friends. If you can defeat an enemy without killing him, then don't. But, if it's a situation where sparing your enemy would mean putting a friend in danger, finish it. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Luffy?"

"B-b-but, Sh-shanks," Luffy said tearfully, "it w-wasn't just words. H-he... He grabbed Makino and... and started grabbing her chest, and she looked really uncomfortable, and started telling him to stop and..."

"Alright, Luffy, calm down. Everything's okay now," Shanks whispered reassuringly, hugging Luffy. "Mayor, why don't you take Luffy and Makino back to the bar and get started on lunch. My crew and I will clean up out here," he said louder, so everyone could hear.

The mayor gave Shanks a knowing look, before nodding and taking Luffy's hand. "Come on, boy. With you and the pirates, it's going to be a busy lunch, and Makino's going to need all the help she can get."

"O-okay," Luffy said wiping the tears from his eyes.

As soon as Luffy was around the corner, Shanks stood up and looked at his crew. Without a word, they each nodded and grabbed one of the bandits, and walked back towards their ship. Shanks and Benn walked over towards Higuma and looked down at the bandit leader. The beaten man looked up and saw Shanks crack his knuckles. "I guess you need a lesson in treating ladies with respect."

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Later...**

* * *

"Alright, problem solved," Shanks said, walking into the bar, his crew right behind him. "Are you doing okay, Makino?" he asked, taking his seat at the bar. Luffy was sitting next to him, silently drinking his juice and looking uncharacteristically shaken.

"I'll be fine, thank you," she responded quietly, looking everywhere except at Shanks.

"If you say so. Just remember this. If you need _anything_ , don't hesitate to ask."

"In that case, would you mind staying here tonight? I don't think I can feel safe alone."

"Of course, I'll have my men stand guard, and..."

"N-No, uh, just you. If you don't mind."

"As you wish."

"Shanks," Luffy said, looking up from his drink, "what did you do?"

"I, uh, what do you mean by that?"

"With your voice. Your voice got really low, and you told me to stop, and then I couldn't move. What happened to me?"

"Oh, that. It's called Haki. It's pretty complicated, but I'll try to explain the basics. It's all about willpower, the strength of your spirit. There are three types, two of which, anyone can learn if they work at it. The third one, you have to be born with. The first two are called Observation Haki and Armament Haki. Observation Haki is the ability to sense someone's presence, even if you can't see them. It can also be used to sense the power of an opponent and, with enough concentration, their next move. Try to hit me."

"What?"

"As a demonstration, you try to hit me, and I will try to avoid getting hit. But here's the trick. I'm going to be blindfolded."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright, but you asked for it."

With that, Shanks put his hat on the table and wrapped a bandana around his eyes. As soon as he put his hands down, Luffy attacked. He started with a straight right punch, but Shanks moved his head ever so slightly, and Luffy hit nothing but air. Trying again, Luffy went for a left hook, followed by a right spin kick. Shanks ducked the punch, then grabbed Luffy by the leg and held him upside down.

"See, you can't touch me. Now, while I'm still blindfolded, I want you to put your hands behind your back and hold up any number of fingers you want."

"Okay," Luffy said skeptically. He put his hands behind his back and held up two fingers on his right hand and three on his left. "Ready."

"Five."

Luffy switched to four on both hands.

"Eight."

One and five.

"Six."

Three and four.

"Seven."

Both of his middle fingers.

"Cheeky."

Shanks put Luffy back down in his chair and removed the blindfold.

"Next," he continued, putting his hat back on, "is Armament Haki. It's the ability to project your spirit as a shield. It can also be used to coat your body or weapons, making your attacks stronger. It is also capable of hitting Devil Fruit users whose abilities would normally prevent them from being injured by physical attacks. Try to hit me again, but this time I'm going to let you." He held out his arm with his open palm facing Luffy.

"Here goes nothing."

Luffy punched Shanks' hand as hard as he could.

"Ow!" Luffy shouted, shaking his hand.

"Now, the third type of Haki, Conqueror's Haki, is incredibly rare. Only one person in a million is born with it. It's what I used on you to make you stop. It's basically just pure willpower exerted as a force, in a short burst to render foes unconscious and tame wild animals, or as a continuous flow to also cause physical damage to objects around you. You've already seen this one, so I won't demonstrate it again. Now, we are leaving again in two days, and we won't be coming back. We've used this island as a base for almost a year now, and if the Marines aren't on to us yet, they will be soon. My sources tell me that your grandpa is thinking about coming for a visit soon, and we need to be gone before he gets here. So, tonight we party, then tomorrow, we begin preparations for departure. Luffy, you can't come with us, but I have some things to give you to get you ready for when you finally do set out, okay?"

"Sure. I wouldn't want to go with you guys anyways. You're all old. I'm going to find my own crew, and we'll be even better than you. And then, I'll become the King of the Pirates."

"King of the Pirates. You? In that case, here." Shanks took the straw hat off his head and put it on Luffy. "This hat is very special, and very important to me. So, I want you to give it back to me, but only after you've become a great pirate, okay?"

"Right," Luffy nodded, tears welling up in his eyes again.

"Hey, no more of that. Like I said, tonight is supposed to be a party. So, let's have some fun, then tomorrow after we leave, that's when you can cry." Turning to his crew, he shouted, "Drink up, men. After tonight we won't have any decent rum until we're back on the Grand Line. So enjoy yourselves, but remember that you also have to be able to work tomorrow. Anyone who doesn't can stay here and be a farmer or something, got it!"

"Aye aye, captain!"

The rest of the day passed quickly, people eating and drinking and singing late into the evening, and there was much rejoicing.

* * *

 **The Next Morning...**

* * *

Shanks woke up early, moving slowly so as not to wake up Makino, who was lying naked next to him. He quickly got dressed, and headed to his ship. Upon his arrival, he saw Benn and Roux filling a small chest with books. "What are you boys up to this morning?" he asked, stretching his arms above his head.

"Oh, captain," Benn said, looking up from his current task. "We figured you would have a late night and wouldn't wake up until about noon. So, we decided to start preparing your gift for Luffy. You did say you had some things to give him, and we figured you meant these books."

"Good work. Now, aside from these books, I have two other gifts in mind. I'll grab those. Benn, when you're finished here, wake the rest of the crew and get started with preparations to set sail. Roux, take stock of the larder and prepare an order for the butcher. Once we head out, I'd like to make as few stops as possible, so make sure we can get to at least Lougetown before we need to resupply," Shanks ordered, heading up the gangplank on to the ship.

"Aye aye, captain," the two men replied, getting ready for a long day of work.

After that, the docks were a hub of activity for the next several hours. Men ran this way and that, checking the sails, cleaning the deck or gathering supplies. Finally, around five o'clock in the afternoon, the Red Hair Pirates were ready to head out. Well, almost ready.

"Shanks!" Luffy cried out, running up to the docks.

"Hey, Luffy. Just in time. So, are you ready for your gifts?" Shanks asked, walking down from his ship. Benn was behind him, carrying a small chest. As they reached the shore, Benn put the chest down in front of Luffy.

"Oh boy, treasure! Thank you, Shanks. This is the best..." Luffy began, opening the chest. "What is this? It's full of books. Where's the treasure?"

"In the pages of those books," Benn answered, chuckling as Luffy's smile faded. "Being a pirate isn't just about fighting and partying and gold. Some of the most valuable treasure in the world is knowledge. That's what's in this chest Luffy, the knowledge you'll need to become a great pirate."

"Luffy," Shanks chimed in, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, "you can go almost anywhere in this world with just a ship and a dream. But in this Era, a lot of people share your dream. To become the King of the Pirates, you'll have to be better than all of them. So take these books and get stronger. Some will teach you the basic skills that anyone who goes to sea should have, like how to navigate, and how to sail. Others are more specialized, like how to fight with a staff, and how to lead a crew. There are three in there that are particularly valuable. First, there is a guide on how to learn and use Haki. I gave you a basic demonstration, so you should be able to figure out if you're doing it right. The second book is a Devil Fruit encyclopedia. It has a description of every known Devil Fruit, as well as a picture for some. It should come in handy if you ever come across one. Finally, there is a book about the Six Powers, high level Marine combat techniques. Unfortunately, getting our hands on that book wasn't easy, and it was ripped in half by one of my men and a Marine officer. The half we got covers the three leg based techniques. There's Shave, which allows you to move at superhuman speeds; Moon Walk, the ability to jump in midair, giving the illusion of flight; and Tempest Kick, a blade of compressed air launched by kicking very quickly. Study these books, but don't stop when you're done okay. You'll go far, Luffy, but only if you never stop moving forward. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I get it. I promise to learn everything I can to become a great pirate. Thank you for everything, Shanks," Luffy answered, nodding his head in determination.

"I haven't given you everything yet. There are two more things I want you to have," Shanks said, reaching into his cloak. He pulled out a familiar looking chest and a red staff tipped with gold. "No one on the crew wanted it, so I'm leaving the Gum-Gum Fruit here with you. You can eat it if you want to. Or, you could hold on to it for later, either to sell it, or give it to one of your crew. The choice is entirely up to you. And this," he said, holding out the staff, "is Jingu Bang, the Gold-Banded Rod. It's made of Adam Wood, meaning it is virtually indestructible. However, it weighs 796 kilograms, so I doubt you can lift it right now." Standing up, Shanks walked to the beach and found a large boulder. He hefted the staff like a spear, and stabbed it straight through the solid rock. "So, you'll need to train every day, both physically and mentally, until you can pull it out of this stone. Good luck, Luffy. I'll see you on the Grand Line." With that, he and his crew got on their ship and prepared to set sail.

Looking back, Shanks saw Luffy standing at the end of the dock, waving at the pirates and shouting, "Goodbye, Shanks. I will become the King of the Pirates, and I will see you again. That's a promise."

Shanks just nodded, watching as the island slowly started to shrink away, the ship picking up speed as they headed back home. _'Things are going to get interesting now,'_ he thought, as the island finally faded completely from view. _'It looks like the Will of D lives on, Roger. I wonder how it will end this time.'_

* * *

 **And that's a wrap. Thank you all for reading this story. I am sorry that there was a lot of exposition in this chapter, but it should give you all the info you need, so that next chapter I can just get right into the story without having to stop and explain things every other paragraph. Also, how do you feel about my descriptions? Did you like them, did they feel too long, do I need to describe everyone? Please leave a review to let me know what you think. I will answer any non-spoiler questions through private messaging. Constructive criticism only, please. All flames will be absorbed by Ace. See you all next time on 'The Monkey King.'**


	2. The Power of Dreams

**Hello, and welcome back to 'The Monkey King'. Before we get into the story, I would like to say a few things.**

 **First of all, thank you to everyone who read the first chapter. In the week since I published it, I've gotten almost 100 followers, 75 favorites and 800 views.**

 **Secondly, I must address a few questions I've received.**

 **To sneak13579 and sudhush: I don't intend to give Luffy a Devil Fruit. This is going to be a story about him surviving by his own natural strength and his wits.**

 **To Thisismyswamp: I sent you a pm explaining this, but I will repeat it here because I believe it is important information for everyone to have.**

 **The comment said that Luffy eating a Devil Fruit has nothing to do with his intelligence, so why would not eating one make him smarter. I have three answers to that. Personally, I like answer number two, but each of them have some validity.**

 **1\. This is a fanfic, and I can make whatever changes I want. I don't particularly like this answer, as it's lazy and boring, but it is true.**

 **2\. I believe that there is a correlation between Luffy's Devil Fruit and his relatively childish and unintelligent behavior. The Gum-Gum Fruit turned Luffy's whole body into rubber. This includes his skin, muscles, bones and _organs_. This means that his brain is made of rubber. To grossly oversimplify, the brain works by sending and receiving electrical signals throughout your body. My theory, therefor, is that Luffy is now stuck at the mental capacity of a seven year old, as that is when he ate the fruit. Like I said, this is my favorite answer, but if you disagree that's fine.**

 **3\. In this version of One Piece, Shanks gave Luffy the gift of knowledge and told him to use it to become the best he can be. Even without that though, this has always bugged me. Luffy's dream required him to go out to sea, yet he never took even a few minutes to try and learn anything even remotely related to sea travel. If I were Luffy, I'd have at least attempted to study the basics of navigation and sailing. This is probably the most logical answer of the three.**

 **Finally, I intend to release a new chapter every Monday, but that is subject to change. I do plan on sticking with this story, as I have the outline done all the way to Skypiea.**

 **Character Ages:**

 **Luffy: 17**

 **Jack: 10**

 **Makino: 35**

 **Coby: 15**

 **Alvida: 30**

 **Nami: 18**

 **Disclaimer: I don't think I'm Eiichirō Oda. I could be wrong about that, but I doubt it.**

 **Now, I've wasted enough of your time, so let's get to the story.**

* * *

 _Previously, on 'The Monkey King'..._

Looking back, Shanks saw Luffy standing at the end of the dock, waving at the pirates and shouting, "Goodbye, Shanks. I will become the King of the Pirates, and I will see you again. That's a promise."

Shanks just nodded, watching as the island slowly started to shrink away, the ship picking up speed as they headed back home. _'Things are going to get interesting now,'_ he thought, as the island finally faded completely from view. _'It looks like the Will of D lives on, Roger. I wonder how it will end this time.'_

* * *

 **Foosha Village, 10 years later...**

* * *

The sun rose over the peaceful village, illuminating the worn dirt roads and simple wooden houses with a subtle golden glow. Just outside of town, on a cliff overlooking the sea, there was a small one-room cottage. Sunlight filtered in through the window, waking the buildings lone inhabitant. Stretching to his full height of 5' 9" tall, Monkey D. Luffy prepared to finally set sail. He quickly got dressed, putting on a pair of black suit pants and a red, long-sleeve dress shirt, and slipping on a pair of wooden sandals. He rolled his shirt sleeves halfway up his forearms, and tied a black tie loosely around his neck. Completing the look, he threw a black captain's coat over his shoulders, and finally, topped it all off with his most prized possession, Shanks' old straw hat. Looking around his home for the last time, Luffy grabbed the few possessions he would be bringing with him. First, he put all the books Shanks had given him into a chest. He had read them all at least five times, but brought them with anyway to share with his crew, when he found them. Then, he pulled back a loose floorboard, revealing a small chest that held the Gum-Gum Fruit. Pulling it out, Luffy placed the Devil Fruit with the books, then locked the chest. Finally, he went to his weapon rack and grabbed his staff, Jingu Bang, slinging it over his shoulder, and also took a small dagger that he sheathed on his belt. Picking up the chest under his left arm, he headed out the front door, locking it behind him. With that done, he headed to the bar for a quick breakfast.

As he reached the town square, he felt a familiar tingle at the back of his neck. Taking a small step to the left, he then stuck out his right leg, tripping a small boy who had come running up behind him with a metal pipe.

"Nice try, squirt. You almost got me that time," Luffy said, ruffling the boy's dark red hair.

"No I didn't, you're just saying that to be nice," the kid pouted, kicking the ground lazily.

"Shishishishi, you're right," Luffy laughed, picking the kid up with his right arm, "but that doesn't mean you should give up. Now, come on, Jack, let's get you home to mommy. I'm sure she's worried about her little angel," he said mockingly.

The boy, now identified as Jack, struggled to get free, kicking and screaming all the way to the bar.

"Good morning, Makino," Luffy said, taking his usual seat at the bar. "I brought you a present," he added, dropping Jack into the chair next to his.

"Good morning to you too, Luffy," Makino replied, smiling as she set down two plates of bacon and eggs in front of the boys. "And Jack, what have I told you about attacking Luffy?" she asked, turning to face her son.

"Not to fight before breakfast," Jack answered, hanging his head and picking at his eggs with a fork. "But he's leaving today, and I don't know when I'll see him again. This was my last chance to catch him off guard."

"Don't worry about it, little buddy," Luffy stated, patting the kid on the back. "I've taught you the basic exercises and shown you all the moves. Just remember to never stop moving forward. Your dad told me that a long time ago. You're only ten years old, Jack. You have plenty of time to get stronger. I'm honestly impressed with how far you've come in the three years since your mom let me start teaching you. I'm proud of you, she's proud of you, and I'm sure wherever he is, your dad is proud of you too."

"Yeah, sure. That's easy for you to say. I've never even met him. If he really cared, he would have come back at least once. I don't need or want his approval. In fact, I hate..."

 _ **'Smack.'**_ "Don't you ever speak about your father like that!" Makino shouted, slapping her son across the face. "He's a wonderful man, and I will not have you insult him like that."

"Makino, calm down. Let me handle this, okay?" Luffy asked, looking pointedly at Makino. Seeing her nod, he turned his attention to the angry child. "Jack. Hey, Jack. Look at me."

Jack raised his head towards Luffy, tears streaming down his face. "It's not fair," he cried. "He left before I was even born, and now you're leaving me too. Why? What did I do?"

"Calm down, pal," Luffy said, embracing the boy tightly. "You didn't do anything wrong. None of this is your fault, understand?" Pulling back again, Luffy stared straight at Jack. "I didn't know my father either you know. Sure, my grandpa used to come visit, but for the most part it was just me, Ace and Sabo. Then Sabo died, and Ace left. Without them, I had to be the one to protect the village. Now it's my turn to head out to sea, and I'm leaving you in charge here. So no more crying. I'm counting on you to keep your mom and everybody else safe while I'm gone. In about seven years, it'll be your turn. Your dad and I will be out at sea waiting for you if you decide to follow us. But, no matter what you choose to do, as long as you follow your dreams, you can accomplish anything." With that, Luffy finished his breakfast, and got up from the bar. "Come on, I'm going to get ready to set sail now, and I have something to give you both before I go."

The three of them headed to the docks, meeting up with a few of the other villagers along the way. Everyone wished Luffy good luck, telling him that they'd miss him, and that life would be a little less exciting without him. The mayor asked him to reconsider becoming a pirate one last time, but he knew it wouldn't work. Finally, the small procession reached the small boat they had prepared for Luffy's trip. It was a simple, one-masted dinghy, about ten feet long. It had two barrels in it, one full of dried meats, and the other of rum. Luffy put his chest in the boat, opening it to grab the Gum-Gum Fruit.

"Jack, your dad gave me this, just before he left. He told me to do whatever I wanted with it. I held onto it for a while, debating whether or not I wanted to eat it. Every day, when I was done training, I'd take it out and look at it. Then, you were born. I decided that I would keep it safe until I left, then I'd give it to you. I don't know where he got it, but I do know that he'd want you to have it. Eating this will turn your body into rubber. From what I learned in the encyclopedia your dad left with it, that means you'll be able to stretch and bend really far, and blunt attacks, like punches or bullets, won't hurt you. Blades will still cut you, but if you keep up with your Haki training that shouldn't be an issue." Finishing his speech, Luffy handed the boy the Devil Fruit.

Jack took the fruit from Luffy, being careful not to drop it. He looked back at his mother, waiting for her to say something. She just smiled and nodded at him, letting him know she was okay with him eating it. Taking a deep breath, and remembering Luffy's warning about the taste, he quickly bit into the fruit, trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. "Blech! Oh god, I'm going to die! That tasted like rotten garbage seasoned with poison!" Jack screamed, after swallowing down the foul tasting piece of fruit.

"Well, do you feel any different?" Luffy asked, once the boy had calmed down.

"I feel... Doughy. Like my whole body is warm and squishy. Luffy, grab my hand."

Luffy reached out, taking Jack's hand in his own. Then, Jack started to walk away. And kept walking away. He stopped once he reached the shore, fifteen feet down the dock.

Turning around, Jack looked at his arm, and laughed. "Dehehehehe, this is so cool. Okay, Luffy, you can let go of my hand now."

Luffy complied, releasing the boy's hand. As soon as he let go, Jack's arm started flying back to its original position. However, the young red head was unprepared for the force the arm snapping back generated, and he was knocked backwards on to his ass.

Now it was everyone else's turn to laugh, as Jack picked himself up off the beach. Scowling for a second, the boy soon broke into laughter with the crowd.

After the commotion died down, Luffy turned to Makino. "Here is the key to my house. I took everything I needed, but there is still some basic equipment in there, along with things I obviously can't bring with me, like the furniture. Feel free to take anything you want, or leave it all there. When the time comes, Jack can have the place for himself. I know he's your little boy, and you want to protect him, but he's also Shanks' son. I've taught him a lot these last few years, and he can take care of himself. He'll be a great man someday, Makino. Have faith in him."

"Thank you, Luffy. I'll take care of everything from here. Now get going. We've kept you here long enough, it's time for you to begin your journey. I hope you make some great friends out there. And always remember, we're all rooting for you here," Makino said, giving Luffy a quick hug.

"Alright then, goodbye everyone. Don't forget to check the papers, because I'm going to make headlines. After all, I'm going to be the King of the..."

A rubber fist punched him in the gut, knocking him into his boat. "Yeah, yeah. 'King of the Pirates.' We've heard it all before. Now, stop talking about it, and just do it," Jack said, smiling down at Luffy.

"Okay, I'm going," Luffy replied, mockingly hurt. "Good job, by the way. You finally got me, Jack," he added, unfurling the sail.

"You let me do that, and you know it."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it was a good hit. Take care, everyone," Luffy called out, waving at the crowd as the wind picked up, taking him out to sea to finally begin his journey.

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later...**

* * *

"Man, that was close," Luffy sighed, putting down the oar he had been using. A massive whirlpool had appeared in his way, and he had to use all of his strength to keep his tiny ship afloat. He shuddered to think what would have happened to him if he hadn't learned basic navigation and sailing techniques.

He kept sailing, staring out over the deep sapphire blue sea, enjoying the smell of the sea air, when he felt something... Off. Looking around, he noticed a cruise ship, with a gaudy duck-like ship parked next to it. Pulling up alongside the two, he noticed the duck ship flying a Jolly Roger.

 _'Pirates,'_ he thought, tying his small boat to the passenger ship.

 **"Moon Walk."**

Jumping quickly, he landed on the deck, in the middle of a full on pirate raid. The passengers and crew were lined up on their knees, heads down, while a few men walked down the line collecting the valuables of everyone they passed.

Standing off to the side was a very obese woman, who was probably the captain. Next to her, a small, pink haired boy was shaking, glancing around nervously. Suddenly, he spotted Luffy, who held up a finger to his lips and winked. The boy let out a surprised gasp.

"What is it now, Coby?" the large woman rasped, looking disdainfully at the kid.

"N-Nothing, Lady Alvida! I m-m-must be, uh, imagining things. It looked like another ship was coming," Coby stuttered, pointing in the opposite direction of Luffy. "B-but, it was just a b-bird."

"Coby!" Alvida shouted, turning to look out over the sea. "Tell me, who is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

"Th-that would be you of course, Lady Alvida," Coby replied, cowering back a step.

"Precisely. Now, it's impolite to waste a beautiful persons time, isn't it?"

"Y-Yes, Ma'am!"

"And what is the punishment for impoliteness on my ship?"

"N-no! Please don't kill me! I'm sorry, I'll do anything, just please don't..." he trailed off, looking up at his captain.

Alvida raised a large spiked metal club that she'd had slung over her back, and prepared to crush the whiny brat. "No more excuses! I'm finally going to do what I should have done two years ago!"

Having seen enough, Luffy readied himself for battle.

 **"Shave."**

Alvida swung her mace down, looking forward to the squelching sound that would accompany the death of her annoying cabin boy. Instead, she heard a 'THUD!' as she struck the empty space the boy had just been in. Looking around, she saw a boy in a black captain's coat set Coby down near the row of passengers. As he stood up, Alvida noticed a worn, old straw hat on his head.

"Who the hell are you?!" she screeched, staring menacingly at the newcomer.

Luffy didn't turn around or acknowledge Alvida's question in any way. Instead, he looked down at the boy he'd just rescued. "Are you okay?" he asked, checking the kid for any sign of injury.

Coby nodded weakly, too shocked to say anything.

"Alright. In that case, hold on to my coat for a second. I'll be right back." Luffy draped the large coat over the boy, then stood and turned to face Alvida.

"It's rude to ignore a lady's question brat! Now, _who the hell are you_?"

"First of all, it's rude to ask someone who they are without introducing yourself first. Secondly, I don't think 'Hell' is a very ladylike word. And finally, I don't see any ladies asking questions here,"Luffy replied mockingly. With each point he brought up, Alvida got angrier and angrier. "In fact, the only thing that's asking questions appears to be a baby whale that learned how to speak and walk upright. It's very impressive."

With that last jab, Alvida snapped. "Men! Kill him! The person who brings me his head gets half of today's haul!"

Suddenly, Luffy was surrounded by about twenty pirates. Looking around at them, he cracked his knuckles, fell into a basic fighting stance, and gestured for them to come and get him.

What happened next was a frantic blur. Luffy sidestepped swords, ducked punches and evaded bullets. He brought his right elbow around, catching one pirate in the back of the neck. Continuing with his momentum, he kicked out his left leg, knocking three more men to the ground. Dodging a few more attacks, Luffy grabbed one of the pirates by the arm and swung him around in a circle, hitting everyone else, before releasing his hold and sending the man flying out to sea. With the crew incapacitated, Luffy turned his attention back to Alvida.

"Well, fine. If that's how you're going to be about it, I'll tell you my name first. Monkey D. Luffy, at your service," he said, taking a mocking bow. "Now, I believe the polite thing to do would be to tell me what your name is."

"Grrr, how dare you mock me. I am the great Lady Alvida, captain of the Alvida Pirates, and you will show me some respect, boy!" she shouted, her face turning a violent shade of red.

"No, that's not how it works. Respect is earned, not given, and respect based on fear is not the kind of respect worth having. But, I will say thank you for finally telling me your name. So, Alvida, where does this conversation end? I have things to do, and I would like to be on my way sooner rather than later. Unless you have anything else to say, I suggest we settle this now," Luffy said, getting serious again. He dropped back into his fighting stance and put his right hand on Jingu Bang, preparing to draw the staff whenever Alvida decided to attack.

"Very well, brat. It's time for you to die!"

Alvida charged head first at Luffy, her mace held overhead with both hands. Luffy drew his staff, twirling it in his hands a few times, ending with it held over his shoulder like a bat. Reaching the straw-hatted boy, Alvida brought her mace down, attempting to crush him.

Luffy, however, was prepared for that, and he swung Jingu Bang like a golf club. He connected with Alvida's mace just as it was about to hit him, sending the mace flying straight up in the air.

Alvida just stood there, a look of shock and confusion on her face. Luffy, meanwhile, transferred the momentum of his swing into a 360° counterclockwise spin on his right leg. He replanted his left foot and, this time, swung his staff like a baseball bat. It once again hit the mace, just as it had been about to crash into the deck, launching it into Alvida's stomach, causing her to rocket off into the distance.

Luffy casually sheathed the staff, and walked back over to Coby. "Problem solved. You're name is Coby, right? That's what Shamu was calling you," Luffy said, picking up his coat.

"Y-yes. W-what are y-you going to d-do to m-m-me?" the small boy asked, still quaking in fear at the events he had just witnessed.

"Do to you? Nothing. Why would I do anything to you? All I want is to ask if you'd like to come with me. The marines will be showing up soon I'm sure, and you don't seem much like someone who chose to become a pirate, so let's get out of here while we still can, and then I'll take you wherever you want. Deal?" Luffy asked, throwing his coat over his left shoulder and extending his right hand.

"Uh... Y-yeah, okay," Coby said, taking Luffy's offered hand. Pulling himself up, he suddenly asked, "Wait, how are we going to escape? Alvida's men burned the lifeboats after securing the passengers."

"On my boat. What, do you think I just randomly showed up here in a floating barrel or something? It's tied up right off to the side here, see..." Luffy trailed off, noticing that his small dinghy was no longer parked between the two larger ships. Looking around desperately, he saw his boat about one hundred feet away and heading north. He could just make out the outline of a person manning the sails. "Oh this is going to be fun," Luffy said, more to himself than to Coby. "Hold on to my back, kid. Things are about to get windy."

"What do you mean by thaaaahhhh!" Coby's question was cut off as Luffy jumped overboard.

 **"Razor!"**

Suddenly, the two young men seemed to disappear in the middle of their free fall, reappearing momentarily about a dozen feet away, before disappearing again. This kept happening for a few more seconds, before they finally fell out of the sky onto the boat.

"Man, *pant* that really *pant* takes a lot *pant* of effort. I haven't *pant* used my abilities *pant* that often *pant* before," Luffy gasped, his breathing ragged.

"What the hell just..." a feminine voice shouted, before being silenced by Luffy's index finger pressed against their lips.

"Be *pant* quiet, Coby. Give me *pant* a second *pant* to breath," Luffy said, his eyes closed.

"Um, Luffy..." Coby started, before he felt Luffy's other index finger on his own lips.

"Shhh. Questions *pant* later, breathing *pant* now."

Silence settled over the ship for a minute, before Luffy finally started breathing normally again. "Now, what were you trying to say, Coby?" he asked, dropping his arms and turning to face the first voice he had heard. Noticing the person he had just addressed, Luffy blinked for a few seconds, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Upon opening his eyes, he saw that the person in front of him was, in fact, real, and very, very angry.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE! WHO ARE YOU!? AND HOW DID YOU GET HERE!? WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN! AND..."

Luffy tuned out the ranting, and took a moment to examine his new (unintentional) shipmate.

The girl (because he finally noticed that it was a girl) had shoulder length orange hair and light brown eyes. She wore a blue T-shirt with short, white markings around the neck; black jeans with a red sash tied around her waist; and black, leather heeled boots. Topping off the look, she wore a black armband on each wrist, and a black bandana on her head. She was sitting down, so he couldn't be 100% certain, but if he had to guess, Luffy would say she was about 5' 6", maybe 5' 6.5". Overall, she had a very nice figure, and, although he didn't have much for comparison, Luffy thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT... HELLO, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" the girl shouted, snapping her fingers in front of Luffy's face.

"Huh, what? Oh, of course, hello. My name is Monkey D. Luffy. And who, might I ask, are you? And, only slightly more important than that, why did you steal my boat?" Luffy responded, taking off his hat and bowing politely.

"Grrr. Whatever. My name is Nami. And I didn't know this was your boat. I thought it belonged to those stupid pirates I was robbing. It also had that treasure chest, so I took it. I was about to pick the lock and see what was in there when you two fell out of the sky. Speaking of which," she said, turning to Coby, "who are you? I don't remember seeing you on the cruise ship, so that must mean that you're one of those filthy pirates. Which means you," she turned back to Luffy, "are a pirate as well. And if that's the case, then this is MY ship now. I stole it fair and square, so get lost." With that, she reached behind her back and pulled out three wooden sticks, which she screwed together to form a Bo staff. She stood up and pointed the staff at Luffy.

Luffy just yawned and leaned back against the side of the boat. "Yes, Coby was technically with those pirates, but he was more of an indentured servant than a crew member. And yes, I am a pirate, but I really only just got started, and the only thing I've done since I left my village this morning is beat up that annoying, fat pirate lady. So it's not really as bad as you think, see? Just put the staff down, we'll reach the next island, and we can all go our separate ways. Also, if it's treasure you want, I'm afraid I don't have any yet. That chest is full of books. Sailing, navigating, basic stuff like that. If you need to find your way home, the navigation book has an atlas of the East Blue in it. You're more than welcome to use it to get your bearings. Otherwise, we can just sit and talk. I don't really care, but I'm tired, and I don't want to have to hurt you. You're very pretty, and I'd hate to ruin such perfection."

"I don't need your stupid atlas, I'm the best navigator in the whole East Blue. And I'm the one with a weapon right now, so you should be more worried about _me_ hurting _you_. Also... Wait, what was that last part!?" Nami shouted, turning her face away so Luffy couldn't see her blushing. Had he really just called her perfect? Glancing back towards him, she realized he wasn't half bad either and... _'Stop it, Nami. He's a filthy pirate. He's just trying to catch you off guard. Then he'll probably knock you out, take advantage of you, and take all your money before leaving you at the next island, unconscious and alone. Well, he made one mistake. He's just casually lying there, half asleep, while being threatened. Whatever he did to get here must have really worn him out. In this state, he'll be no match for your speed. Just hit him in the head now, before he can react.'_

Finally done with her mental pep talk, Nami turned back towards the straw-hatted boy, her blush replaced by a mask of pure hatred. "You don't get to negotiate here, pirate. Everything on this ship belongs to me now. You'll just have to find a new way to get around, if you even survive."

As she said that, she swung her staff at his head. Luffy ducked under the blow, then returned to his original position, lightly whistling 'Yo Ho', an old pirate shanty that Shanks had taught him. Nami, frustrated by the boy's complete disregard for her attack, swung again. When he dodged that as well, still whistling without a care in the world, she couldn't take it any more. She started rapidly slashing and jabbing at Luffy with wild abandon. Luffy, for his part, seemed to be exerting almost no effort in avoiding the attacks, continuing to whistle without missing a beat. Finally, Nami decided to try and finish the fight with a powerful downward strike. To her surprise, Luffy didn't move this time.

 _'Ha, it looks like you've finally run out of energy. I've got you now,'_ she thought, as the staff was just about to hit him. Then, in the blink of an eye, Luffy's arm shot up, grabbed the end of the staff, and pulled it out of Nami's grasp. Unfortunately for her, she had put a lot of force into that attack, and it still had to go somewhere. With a silent gasp, she fell forward, crashing into Luffy, her face landing on his chest. Looking up, she saw the boy smirking at her, before she realized the position she was in. Pulling away incredibly quickly, she crawled backwards all the way to the other end of the ship, burying her face in her arms, blushing even harder than before.

"Shishishishi, you're a really fun person, Nami. It feels good to make a new friend. Well, the sun's starting to go down, so rest up. Coby, take first watch, will you? If anything happens, start screaming. Otherwise, wake me up around midnight. Goodnight." Luffy shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep, not even bothering to hear Coby's response.

Nami, on the other hand, couldn't go to sleep, even though she felt exhausted. _'Friend? I yelled at him, threatened him and attacked him, and he still called me his friend? What kind of pirate is this guy?'_ She started sobbing silently, before eventually falling asleep as well. That night, she had dreams about a pinwheel, tangerines and laughter.

* * *

 **The Next Morning...**

* * *

"Nami! Coby! Wake up you guys!" Luffy shouted, jumping down from the mast, where he had been on lookout duty, rousing his two neon-haired companions from their slumber. "We're approaching Shells Town. It's a Marine stronghold, so we need to be cautious."

"The Marines? Oh, finally. I can finally achieve my dream," Coby wept joyfully.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Luffy asked, taking a seat next to the small boy.

"I want to be a Marine Admiral," Coby replied. "Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to catch bad guys and fight for justice. But then, I wound up on Alvida's ship by accident, and after these past two years of service to her and her crew, I had given up hope of ever fulfilling my dream. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I probably would have been stuck with Alvida until she got sick of me and had me killed. So, I just want to say, even though you said you were a pirate, I am grateful for the opportunity you've given me. We may end up being enemies one day, but I hope we'll always be friends, Luffy."

"Shishishishi, of course we will, Coby. After all, my dream is to become the King of the Pirates, so my rival in the Marines would have to be at least a Vice-Admiral," Luffy said, grinning at the pink haired boy's ambition.

"Pirate King?!" his two new friends shouted, staring at him like he had just said the craziest thing possible.

"You realize that to do that, you'd have to obtain the One Piece, the legendary treasure of Gold Roger himself. In this Golden Age of Piracy, you don't stand a chance, Luffy. There's no way, it's simply impossible!" Coby stated.

"You seemed to be pretty strong yesterday, and you aren't a complete idiot, but to be the Pirate King takes a certain ruthlessness. I hate pirates. All they do is destroy things and ruin innocent people's lives. You seem different though, and if you gave up on your stupid dream, I'd even consider traveling with you a bit longer. But, if you want to throw your life away on a crazy idea like that, then I'll be leaving as soon as we land," Nami added, glaring at Luffy.

Seeing that they were both finished, Luffy removed his hat, staring down at it in his right hand. "I don't care," he said darkly, "It's not about wealth, or fame, or power. It's about freedom. It might be impossible, it might be stupid, but it's my dream, and no one is allowed to insult it, do you understand? If I die, then I die. It's as simple as that. But I won't let the thought of failure stop me from trying. I had two brothers once. We weren't actually related by blood, but we didn't let that bother us. We chose each other, and we were happy, for a time. Together, we studied, trained, and dreamed about achieving freedom. Sabo was a minor noble, trapped in a life of rules and responsibilities. Ace and I were the sons of major enemies of the World Government, and if anyone knew who our fathers were, we would have been executed for the crime of existing. But, the King of the Pirates answers to, and is afraid of, nobody. They are the most free person in the world. Sabo set out first. We had agreed to wait until we turned seventeen to head out, each on our own, to see who could reach the finish line first. Sabo and Ace were two years older than me, so they would leave before me. But, events happened that forced Sabo to leave early, or he would have been trapped forever, in the prison of nobility. We were ten when he set out. He didn't even make it out of sight of our home island, when he was gunned down by a Marine ship on orders from a World Noble. After that, Ace and I knew that piracy was the path we would travel. Two years ago, Ace headed out. He made a name for himself as the Captain of the Spade Pirates, before trying to challenge the Strongest Man in the World, the legendary Whitebeard. Ace lost, but Whitebeard let him live, and the last I heard was that he's now known as 'Fire Fist' Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. And now it's my turn."

Ending that part of his story, he donned his hat again, turning to Coby. "If you want to be a Marine, that's fine. Just know that not all of them are good people. The World Government doesn't care about 'right' and 'wrong'. Their belief is that because they are in charge, anything they do is justified. Most Marines use this doctrine of 'Absolute Justice' to do whatever they want, claiming that their actions are for the good of the world. 'Moral Justice', on the other hand, says that good is a point of view, based on situational events. If a man stole a loaf of bread to feed a group of starving children, 'Absolute Justice' would send the man to jail for stealing, not caring what will happen to the kids because of it. However, a person who believes in 'Moral Justice' would see that same scene, and help the children find new homes so the man wouldn't have to steal anymore. Do whatever you think is right, Coby, just don't lose sight of who you are to do it."

Turning to Nami, he concluded, "And like I said about the Marines, the same goes for pirates. We're not all bad. There are two kinds of pirates, marauders and adventurers. Marauders are the kind most people think of when they imagine a pirate. Someone who rapes, pillages and plunders indiscriminately, taking whatever and whomever they want, and destroying anything they can't. But adventurers; people like me, Ace and Whitebeard; care more about the freedom to explore the world. We want to see new places, learn new things and follow our dreams. I like you, Nami, and I'd hate to see you go just because of what I call myself. But, if you want to leave I won't stop you. It looks like we're about to make port, so I'll end with this."

"Nothing is impossible unless you tell yourself it is. No matter how crazy or stupid your dreams may be, as long as you never give up on them, they will always be there, just waiting for you to reach out and touch them."

* * *

 **And Scene. This chapter had a lot of exposition again, and I'm sorry if that's not what you were looking for. I had originally planned to get through Shells Town, but then Littlest1 left a review that brought up an idea I hadn't even considered. The entire character of Jack, and by extension the whole first section of this chapter, came about due to her wanting to know if Shanks and Makino's night together was going to lead to anything. It was supposed to be just a little bit of fluff, and I didn't intend to do anything with it. But, after reading that review, I immediately started coming up with ideas, so I ran with it, and suddenly I was 2,000 words into the chapter. Then, I wrote the part about Alvida, which I had planned out. After I got Luffy and Coby to the boat however, I realized that I hadn't really explained Coby's story. So I added that in, then I just kept writing until I had this whole speech about dreams and pirates and morality. In the end though, I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope all of you enjoy reading it. Feel free to leave any questions, comments or concerns. See you guys next time.**

 **PS: There have been a lot of literary and pop culture references in this story. One Internet cookie for each one you find.**


	3. A Cut Above The Rest

**I'm back, with another exciting chapter of 'The Monkey King'. To all my American readers, Happy Independence Day! To the rest of the world, happy first Monday of July, I guess. I would like to take a second to thank you guys and gals for reading this. We just hit 150 favorites, and we're almost to 200 followers.**

 **Character Ages:**

 **Zoro: 19**

 **Rika: 12**

 **Helmeppo: 16**

 **Morgan: 45**

 **Berry Value: 100 Berries=$100 USD**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Unless you're talking about the manga, in which case, I own over 70 volumes of One Piece. But I don't think that's the same thing, so...**

* * *

 _Previously, on 'The Monkey King'..._

"Nothing is impossible unless you tell yourself it is. No matter how crazy or stupid your dreams may be, as long as you never give up on them, they will always be there, just waiting for you to reach out and touch them."

* * *

 **Shells Town Docks...**

* * *

They pulled up to the pier, and Luffy leaped out, tying the boat to a post. Looking around, he observed the small town they had arrived in. It had a simple main street that led from the docks to the Marine base, passing a few shops and houses along the way. A few people were out getting food from the stalls, while others sat at a café and talked about whatever was new in their lives. As Luffy tied off the knot, he was approached by a man with a ledger.

"It costs 100 Berries to dock here, sir," the man said, looking to the dinghy. "I'll also need your name, and the name of your companion," he added, pointing to Coby.

Looking around, Luffy realized that Nami had stealthily crept away, and was now nowhere to be seen. Shrugging it off, Luffy reached into his pocket and grabbed a wad of bills. "Here's eleven hundred, and we forget the names," he said, slipping the money into the man's coat pocket.

"Welcome to Shells Town, Mr. Smith, Mr. Johnson. Please enjoy your visit," the man replied, quickly walking back to the boat house.

"Well, come along then, 'Mr. Johnson'," Luffy said, gesturing for Coby to follow him.

"What was that all about, Luffy?" Coby asked as they walked down the street.

"Well, I'm a pirate, and you want to be a Marine. It wouldn't look good for you if our names showed up together in an official logbook like that. More importantly, I'm hungry," Luffy answered, tossing a coin to a street vendor and taking a pear. "So, do you know anything about this place, Coby?"

"Well, from what I've heard, the Marines recently arrested a bounty hunter named Zoro," Coby replied. When he mentioned Zoro, the townspeople all flinched, taking a step back from the two of them.

 _'Interesting,'_ Luffy thought, wondering what could have happened to cause a reaction like that.

"This is also a pretty famous local Marine base. It's led by Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan."

Once again, the villagers backed away from them with fear in their eyes.

"Weird, I can understand why they'd react like that to Zoro, because he has a reputation as a demon in human form, a whirlwind of death that destroys anything in his way. But, I don't get why they're afraid of the Captain," Coby said, looking around at the people, noticing the panicked faces of even the children.

 _'I see, so that's how it is here.'_ Looking over at Coby, Luffy sighed. "Do you remember what I said on the boat? About how not all Marines are good people?" he asked.

"Yeah, but Captain Morgan is a hero. He captured the notorious pirate Kuro of the Thousand Plans."

"Sure, but being lauded as a hero can go to a person's head sometimes. I wouldn't be surprised if this Captain Morgan was a little self-obsessed," Luffy explained. "But, moving on, we should head to the base. You need to sign up, and I'd like to see if I can find Zoro. I've heard the rumors, and if he's really that strong, then I want to see if he'll join my crew," he added, leading them out of town.

"Are you insane? Zoro is a bounty hunter. He captures pirates, why would he become one? Besides, he's dangerous. And..."

"Coby, shut up," Luffy interrupted, silencing him. "People aren't always exactly who they seem to others. Also, I'm trying to become the Pirate King, I'll need dangerous people."

Reaching the base, Luffy sensed a powerful presence on the other side of the walls. "Hold on a second," he said, stopping Coby from entering the gates. "Let's take a quick look before we go in."

With that, they climbed up the wall to the left and peered into the courtyard below. What they saw chilled them to the bone.

A man was tied to a cross in the middle of the yard. He wore deep black trousers tucked into black leather boots; and a white t-shirt under an opened, dark green, short-sleeved button up. A black bandana covered his pale green hair, and he wore a green haramaki. He appeared to be 5' 10", and very tanned. Looking up, the man stared at Luffy.

"Get lost, you're ruining the view," the man said casually.

Before Luffy could reply, a little girl appeared next to them. Shushing them, she dropped a rope over the wall and slid down. Walking up to the man, she pulled a small object wrapped in cloth out of her bag. "Hey, Mr. Zoro, I thought you might be hungry, so I made you some rice balls," she said, uncovering the food, and offering it to the now identified Zoro.

"Get lost, kid, I'm fine," he replied, staring menacingly down at her.

"But you haven't eaten in three weeks, and I just thought..."

"I said get lost!" he shouted, causing the girl to take a step back.

"Tsk, tsk. That wasn't very nice, was it," a young, blond man in a purple suit said, entering the courtyard from the base. He was flanked by two men in Marine uniforms. "Here, let me try one of those," he added, snatching one of the rice balls from the girl's hands.

As the girl protested, he bit into it. "Blech!" he exclaimed, spitting it out onto the ground. "It's too sweet. You're supposed to use salt, you idiot, not sugar." He knocked the other one to ground as well, stomping it into the dirt.

"But, I thought it would taste better this way."

"Besides, can't you read," the boy mocked, pointing to a wooden sign near the post. "It says, 'Any person who attempts to aid a prisoner shall face justice at the hands of Captain Morgan.' As his son, I will take care of this matter on his behalf." He turned to one of the guards. "Throw her over the wall, soldier," he ordered.

"But, sir, she's just a little girl. Isn't that a bit..." the Marine started, being cut off as the blond boy grabbed the sailor's tie and brought them face to face.

"Is that insubordination I hear. You will do as I say, or I'll tell my father to have you executed. Now, throw her out of here."

"Yes, sir," the man said reluctantly. Grabbing the girl by her neck, he lightly tossed her over the wall.

 **"Shave,"** Luffy whispered, disappearing from sight. He reappeared under the girl and caught her before she hit the ground. "Are you all right?" he asked, setting her down.

"Yeah, thanks," she replied, "That Helmeppo just really makes me angry."

"The guy in the stupid, purple suit?" Coby inquired, walking up to them.

"Uh huh. He's the son of Captain Morgan, so he acts like he's superior to everybody else in town. If anyone does anything he doesn't like, he threatens them with execution unless they apologize and give him free stuff," she explained, lightly kicking the ground.

"Well, you're safe for now. Coby, why don't you take her home? I'll catch up in a little bit," Luffy said, turning back towards the base.

"Okay, come on, miss..?" Coby sputtered, realizing he didn't know the girl's name.

"Oh, right, I'm Rika," she said, bowing her head in greeting.

"Alright, Rika. Let's get you home." Coby took her hand, and started heading back to town. He didn't notice as Rika turned her head to the side, hiding a slight blush.

Hearing them leave, Luffy climbed over the wall, and walked over to Zoro. He stood there silently, waiting for the man to acknowledge him.

After a few seconds, Zoro looked up, glaring at him. "You again? What do you want, kid?"

"I don't think you're that much older than me, but to answer your question, my name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'd like you to join my pirate crew."

"A pirate, eh? Well, thanks but no thanks. I've got my own ambitions, and I don't need the government getting in my way. Now, leave me alone."

"You really should be nicer to people who are trying to save your life. That girl said you haven't eaten in three weeks. I'd probably starve after three _days_. Judging by your face, I'm going to guess you probably won't last too much longer than that at this point."

"I'll be fine. I just have to make it ten more days, and that blond jerk will let me go. Besides, I've got more determination than you any day. I'll make it, and then I'll get back to my mission. So, for the last time, go away."

"Fine. In that case, I wish you the best of luck." With that, Luffy turned to leave.

"Wait!" Zoro shouted, stopping Luffy in his tracks. "Before you go, could you pick up that rice ball?"

"You realize it's mostly dirt now, right? Besides, what happened to all that 'determination' you had just a second ago?"

"Just shut up, and give it to me!"

"Okay, but remember, you asked for this." Scooping up as much as he could, Luffy turned and dropped the 'rice ball' into Zoro's open mouth.

"Hurk, ugh..." he choked, swallowing it all down.

"I warned you."

"It was delicious. Tell the girl... *cough* that it was the best meal I've ever had."

Luffy just smirked, then turned and climbed back up over the wall. Heading back to the city, he thought about all that had happened in just two days. If this was the beginning, he couldn't wait to see where his journey would go from here.

Walking back onto the main street, he noticed Coby and Rika sitting on the porch of a restaurant. He went up to them, and relayed Zoro's message to Rika. Then, they discussed what happened, with Rika explaining why Zoro was locked up, and Coby giving his reasons for being at the Marine base. Once that was over, Rika invited the boys in to have lunch, as it was her mother's restaurant, and she wanted to repay them for saving her. They all sat at the bar and ordered their food. As they were eating though, Helmeppo walked in, his two lap dogs right behind him.

"I'd like your finest dish and a glass of your best wine. And don't bother charging me for it either," the blond ordered, taking a seat and putting his feet up on the table. "Ugh, it's so boring in this town," he sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I guess I could execute Zoro in the morning. Yeah, that's a great idea. Everyone," he said, standing up from his chair, "you are all required to attend the public execution of Roronoa Zoro tomorrow morning at exactly 7:00 AM sharp. Anyone who is absent or late will be fined 500 Berries and spend one week in jail. I'll be back for my food in a minute, I'm just going to go make sure everyone else is aware of tomorrow's entertainment." Helmeppo nodded to his guards, then walked back out.

Once he was sure that they were out of earshot, Luffy turned and started whispering to Coby. "Alright, this is bad. I'm going to go spring Zoro, and I want you to take Rika upstairs and make sure nothing happens to her, got it?"

"Okay, be safe Luffy."

Slipping out the back door, Luffy made his way back to the execution grounds. Leaping back over the wall, he walked up to Zoro, and pulled out his dagger.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" Zoro asked, looking at the knife in the other man's hand. "I see. You're going to kill me because I wouldn't join your stupid pirate crew? How pathetic."

"No, I'm breaking you out. I don't care if you join me or not, but if I don't release you now, Helmeppo will have you executed in the morning. I know you said you had an agreement for one month, but he was at the bar earlier and announced the 'entertainment' to everyone there."

"That son of a bitch! Alright, cut me loose."

Taking his dagger, Luffy sliced the ropes, then put the blade away. "So, do you have anything you need from the base?" he asked, helping Zoro to his feet.

"My swords. That bastard took my swords. There are three of them. I don't particularly care about the two black ones, but the white one is very important to me."

"Alright. You head in the front, and work your way up, I'll start at the top and work my way down. We can meet up in the middle and I can get you off this island."

"Fine. But, how are you going to get to the top?" Zoro asked, watching as Luffy walked to the base of the building.

"Good luck, Zoro. See you soon. **'Moon Walk.'** "

Zoro blinked, staring at the empty space Luffy had just been occupying. Looking up, he saw the straw-hatted teen land on the roof. "I'll worry about that later," he thought out loud, walking in the front door.

On the roof, Luffy found two dozen Marines lifting a giant stone statue. It was shaped exactly like the man giving orders; a large blond man, with a metal jaw and an axe in place of his right forearm. "Wow. You're one narcissistic asshole, aren't you?" Luffy asked, startling everyone. The sailors dropped the statue a bit, catching it when they heard it scrape against the doorway into the base.

"Be careful, men!" the leader shouted. "Any damage done to that statue will be treated as an attack against me personally. Understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they all shouted in unison.

"Really?" Luffy wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Then, how would you react if I were to," he began, clenching his left hand into a fist. Taking a second to smirk at the captain, he coated his left arm in an invisible layer of Armament Haki, then shot it out perpendicular to his body, causing the monument to explode into a million pieces. "Do that?" he concluded.

The Marines' jaws hit the floor. The captain, on the other hand, just stood there, his left eye twitching angrily. His face turned red, then purple, before he exploded. "YOU ARE DEAD, YOU RAT BASTARD!" he shouted, charging at Luffy.

Anticipating this, Luffy leaned to his left as the captain swung the axe down. Using the larger man's momentum, Luffy grabbed his upper arm, past the axe blade, and flipped him over the edge of the tower. "Now, do any of you know where Helmeppo stored Zoro's swords?" he asked, turning back to the shocked Marines.

Most of the men immediately ran to the door, pushing and shoving, trying to get away from the boy who had defeated their commander with one move. As the last ones were trickling down the stairs, one of them felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw the young man grinning innocently at him.

"You won't mind helping me, right?"

"P-p-p-please, d-don't kill m-me, mister. I have a f-f-family," the soldier cried, dropping to his knees.

"I'm not going to kill you. Just take me to Helmeppo's room, and I'll let you go, so come on," Luffy said, dragging the man behind him as he headed down the stairs.

* * *

 **Elsewhere in the Base...**

* * *

 _'There's a lot of noise out there,'_ Nami thought, as she searched the captain's office for a hidden safe. _'Oh, no. I'll bet it's that Luffy guy, causing trouble. On the bright side, that means the guards are distracted, so I should be able to get out of here unnoticed. Then I'll find a new boat and get the hell out of here. If I'm lucky, this'll be the last time I cross paths with that nut job.'_ Looking around some more, she found what she had been looking for. Behind a small stack of paintings leaned up against the wall, she discovered a small safe. _'Finally, a map of the Grand Line. Soon, all my problems will be over.'_ With a small sigh of relief, she opened the safe.

* * *

 **Back with Luffy...**

* * *

"Thanks, buddy," Luffy said to the Marine he'd 'enlisted' to help him. Looking behind him, Luffy realized the man had run away. "Oh, well. At least I made it," he mused, opening the door that said 'My Room' in fancy handwriting. Stepping inside, Luffy thought he'd wandered into a princess' room, like from the fairy tales Makino used to tell him. _'This explains SO much,'_ he thought, examining the area for Zoro's blades. He found them in the corner, propped up by the windowsill. As he picked them up, he noticed movement outside. Looking down, he saw the man from the roof picking himself up off the ground. _'That's not a good sign.'_

Leaving the room, he ran into Zoro. "I found your swords," he said, handing the other man his weapons.

"Thanks. So, what the hell is going on? A bunch of Marines ran screaming past me back on the second floor, screaming about a monster who killed their captain."

"Well, the captain isn't exactly 'dead' dead. I threw him off the roof, but I just saw him get up, and I don't think he's going to be very happy to see me," Luffy explained, motioning for Zoro to follow him back down the stairs.

"I see. In that case, I guess I'm joining your pirate crew."

"Really? Why the change of heart?"

"Well, I already technically broke out of jail, and it looks like we're going to have to fight our way past a Marine Captain. I'll be branded a criminal either way, so I see no downside to going with you. Just know, if you ever get in the way of me achieving my dream, I will hold you personally accountable. Deal?"

"Deal. What is your dream, though, if I may ask?"

"To become the World's Greatest Swordsman." Zoro held up his white sword, and continued. "I made a promise a long time ago, to the owner of this sword, that one day, one of us would achieve that title. She died though, so now, I have to carry the dream for both of us. I will reach the top, and my name will be known, even in the heavens."

"I see, I made a similar promise to the man who gave me this hat. And, if I'm going to be the next King of the Pirates, I couldn't allow anything less than the future 'World's Greatest Swordsman' on my crew," Luffy replied, laughing as they reached the base's doors.

"King of the Pirates, huh? Well then, let the adventure begin, Captain."

The two men nodded to each other, then kicked the doors open, sending them flying off their hinges and crashing into the perimeter wall. Stepping into the sunlight, they noticed the Marine Captain in front of them, and a firing squad preventing their escape to the sides.

"Give up, children! Accept your death!" the captain shouted." "I am Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan, leader of the 153rd Marine Branch! The Marines are Justice, and I am the highest ranking Marine on this island! That means that whatever I say IS Justice! You two stand accused of escaping imprisonment, destruction of property, assaulting an officer of the law, attempted murder, breaking and entering, theft of Government property, conspiracy to commit piracy, and most egregious, of pissing me off! The punishment for these crimes is death! How do you plead?"

Luffy put his arm on Zoro's shoulder, pushing the swordsman back. Stepping forward, Luffy stared straight into Morgan's eyes. "Fuck you, that's how!" Luffy replied, shrugging his coat off of his shoulders and drawing his staff. Leaning back into a defensive stance, he raised his eyebrow at the captain again, infuriating the large man.

"OPEN FIRE!"

The Marines let loose a volley of shots, surrounding Luffy in a lead cage that was shrinking by the second. Merely smirking, Luffy spun Jingu Bang rapidly, flowing like water, knocking some bullets out of the air, and avoiding the ones he couldn't hit. As the second row of Marines stood to fire, Luffy jammed the staff into the ground, causing a small quake that unbalanced the firing squad. Taking advantage of the opening, Luffy executed one of his Special Techniques.

 **"Razor Blade."**

Grabbing the end of the staff that was sticking out of the ground, he used **Razor** to run in circles through the air, using it as a fulcrum. Once he was going fast enough, he stopped running, allowing momentum to carry him forward. Then he performed a devastating two-legged **Tempest Kick** in a 180° arc, knocking down all the rank and file Marines. Morgan took a deep cut to the chest, but he remained standing.

Luffy collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. "Man, *pant* that takes *pant* a lot of *pant* energy," he coughed out, looking back to Zoro.

"Ha ha, fool. Never turn your back on an enemy unless you're sure it's over!" Morgan taunted, walking up behind Luffy.

"But, *pant* I am sure. Right, *pant* Zoro?" he replied, nodding at his new crew member.

Zoro nodded, drawing his swords, placing Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. "Right," he mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. **"Oni Giri!"** Rushing forward, Zoro slashed his swords across Morgan's chest, which, when combined with the wound Luffy already inflicted, created an hourglass design of cuts on his torso. The large man fell to the ground, his breathing shallow and ragged, but still there.

Luffy walked up to the fallen Marine. "Case dismissed," he quipped, then he shattered Morgan's axe with a strong punch. Then, he went to check on the rest of the soldiers. They were unconscious, but otherwise alive.

While the attack was designed to kill, the wider the arc was, the more spread out the damage would be. At the apex, where Morgan had been, was where most of the cutting power went. The rest was primarily concussive force. The men would be sore in the morning, but they'd pull through. Noting that, he turned back to Zoro. "Let's head back to town. I need food, and I'll bet you do to. Then, I need a nap."

"Agreed."

 **The Next Morning...**

Luffy, Zoro, Coby and Rika were sitting around a table, having breakfast and saying their goodbyes, when three Marines walked in.

"Ahem! Roronoa Zoro and, uh, Straw Hat Boy..." the lead man started.

"Monkey D. Luffy."

"Thank you. Roronoa Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy, while we cannot forgive the crimes you stand accused of, at least not the real ones, you have saved this island from Captain Morgan's tyranny. In light of that, we will grant you four hours to gather supplies and leave this island."

At that, many of the other customers in the restaurant started shouting, pointing out the hypocrisy of the Marine's words, until Luffy stood up and raised his arms.

"Calm down, everyone. We were about to leave anyway. It's good to see you standing this early in the morning. I hope no one else is doing much worse than you."

"Yes, well, thank you for your concern. The rest of the men should be in good, working condition by noon."

"Glad to hear it. Alright, Zoro, let's pack up and get going," Luffy said, grabbing the last bag of supplies they were taking for their trip. As he reached the door, the Marines stopped him again.

"Hold on a second, what about those two?" the leader asked, pointing at Coby and Rika.

"What about them? The girl is the daughter of the owner of this place, and the boy is her nice, but a little annoying, boyfriend." The two children looked away from each other and blushed at that. "They gave us a meal and a room as thanks for saving the girl's life, after you idiots nearly killed her on the orders of that spoiled brat, Helmeppo. Speaking of, what happened to him? Last I heard, he was spreading the word about Zoro's execution. Then some stuff happened, you know all about that, and we came back here, had dinner and passed out," Luffy explained, his face daring the man to question his story.

"I see. I'm sorry, children," he said, bowing apologetically. "As to your question, Helmeppo is being kept in a holding cell, awaiting trial for abuse of authority, bribery, child endangerment, embezzlement, extortion, unauthorized use of Government equipment and/or personnel and wrongful imprisonment of an innocent man. He's looking at 20 years to life in prison."

"Well, would you look at that," Luffy said, patting the Marine on the shoulder as he and Zoro headed for their boat, "sometimes the Marines actually do serve Justice. It brings a tear to my eye."

The two pirates reached the dock and boarded Luffy's 'ship'. They untied the boat, set the sails and shoved off. Looking back, Luffy smiled as Coby and Rika waved them off, the other villagers standing behind the two, also waving. Luffy also noticed that the kids were holding hands. Laughing a bit at how adorable it was, Luffy tipped his hat to them, then turned to prepare the course to the next island.

Back on the shore, Coby and Rika kept waving until the boat sailed over the horizon. When it was gone, they turned to each other and nodded. Walking back into town, hand in hand, they found the Marine Lieutenant.

"Excuse me, sir," Coby said, getting the man's attention. "We'd like to join the Marines."

"I don't know, kid, are you sure your up for it? It takes hard work and dedication to be a Marine. Do you really think you two have what it takes?" the lieutenant asked, skeptically.

"Sir, my girlfriend here had to be saved by a pirate. If I don't get strong enough to protect her myself, then what kind of man would I be?" Coby replied.

"And I may not be a strong fighter, but I'm a pretty good cook. The Marines need food just like everybody else, right, sir?" Rika added, the two of them staring determinedly at the officer.

"Alright, you can start off as a chore boy and a dishwasher, respectively. If you prove yourselves worthwhile, you _might_ get promoted. If you don't, you're gone. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Coby replied, nodding in affirmation.

"What's that, privates?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the two new Marines said in unison, standing straight, saluting.

"At ease. You will be at the base tomorrow morning at precisely 0700. You will bring nothing with you except the clothes on your backs. Do you understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Very well. Dismissed!" the lieutenant snapped a quick salute, then walked out of the restaurant, and back to base. He had a lot of work to do.

"We did it, Coby!" Rika exclaimed, hugging the boy tightly. "We're going to be Marines." Pulling back a bit, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Blushing furiously, Coby rubbed the back of his head, turning to look at the ground. "Yeah. I guess we'd better get ready then," he replied. _'Thank you for everything, Luffy,'_ he thought to himself, as he and Rika started their preparations for the next morning. _'You've given me the opportunity to fulfill my dream. Someday, we'll meet again, I'm sure. You'll be a famous pirate, and I'll be a Marine officer. By law, we'll be enemies, but I will always consider you my friend.'_

* * *

 **Out at Sea...**

* * *

"Well, that was an adventure," Luffy declared, leaning back against the mast, having finished plotting their course.

"Yeah, it was," Zoro agreed, taking another swig from his bottle of rum. "So, I have to ask, what was that attack you did yesterday? And how did you get on the roof of the base? Just what are you, exactly?"

"I'm a human, like you. I just happen to have trained my body beyond normal human limits. I have the books that taught me, if you're interested, but you'll have to wait until we get to shore or get a bigger boat before you start practicing."

"Thanks. I'll hold off for now, though. If we're really going to the Grand Line, we'll need a bigger crew than just the two of us. Once we have a few more people, and a proper ship, then you can start teaching all of us at once. That way, you don't have to repeat the same lesson every time a new crew member joins."

"Good idea. I had a navigator, but she disappeared while Coby and I docked at Shells Town. I'm sure I'll find her again, but since she didn't technically agree to join my crew, that makes you the first one. So, allow me to officially welcome you aboard, First Mate Zoro."

"Alright, I'll drink to that."

"Zoro, I've known you for about 24 hours, and I'm pretty sure you'll drink to anything."

"Aye, aye, captain."

"Shishishishi, well said, Zoro, well said."

They toasted their glasses, and drank up, waiting for the winds to carry them to their next destination.

* * *

 **Another chapter bites the dust. We got Zoro, lost Coby and temporarily misplaced Nami. I've decided to only go in depth on descriptions if I'm making a change to that character. Otherwise, a brief introduction should be fine. So, what do you think of everything else? Do you like Luffy's new attack? Do you have any suggestions for other attacks? Do you guys like Coby and Rika together? If you have an answer to these questions, or if you have a question of your own, leave a review or send me a PM. Have a wonderful day, everyone. Until next time, this is Fedora411, signing off.**


	4. I'm Back Almost

Hey, sorry for the lack of updates recently. My computer crashed the day before I was finished with chapter 4, and I lost everything. I just got my new computer this afternoon after work. Chapter 4 will be up next Monday, the 1st of August. When I post that, I will take this post down. Thank you for your patience.

-Fedora411


End file.
